Providing data service options using voice recognition

• US 10,149,102 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2018
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 06/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Reddy, Nagareddy S., Khandpur, Vikram
• Primary Examiner(s): Sobutka, Philip
• Application Number:
  US15/899,097
• Publication Number:
  US 20180176734A1
• Time in Patent Office: 288 Days
• Field of Search: 455518-520, 4554141-4144
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 21/3664 Details of the user input interface, e.g. buttons, knobs or sliders, including those provided on a touch screen; remote controllers; input using gestures
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3833 Hand-held transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 65/4061 Push-to services, e.g. push-to-talk or push-to-video
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/10 Push-to-Talk [PTT] or Push-On-Call services
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/16 Communication-related supplementary services, e.g. call-transfer or call-hold

Abstract

Initiation of a search query is accomplished by voice direction, rather than by reading choices and texting or clicking through options. A mobile phone includes a dedicated voice query service button for generating a signal for initiating a voice enabled service session, a speaker and microphone for transducing sounds and electrical signals, a display for displaying visual information to a user, memory for storing data, a transceiver for receiving and transmitting data and a processor. The processor receives a signal generated by the service button for initiating a voice enabled service session, communicates a prompt to a user to begin speaking, stores voice data from a user and transmits the stored voice data to a server for transforming the voice data to a result satisfying the spoken voice service request.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer storage medium containing computer-readable instructions for providing a voice search query, the computer-readable instructions, when executed by a computing device, configure the computing device to:

receive a signal to initiate a spoken search request;

communicate a prompt to receive the spoken search request;

receive voice data comprising the spoken search request;

transmit the voice data from the computing device to a server;

receive a response to the spoken search request from the server, wherein the response includes a plurality of search results based on the spoken search request;

present the plurality of search results on a display screen of the computing device;

present a verbal response relating to the plurality of search results via a speaker of the computing device, wherein the verbal response includes an option for interacting with the plurality of search results; and

receive a spoken command relating to the option for interacting with the plurality of search results, wherein the spoken command is transmitted to the server to provide an updated response at the computing device.

2. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, the instructions further configuring the computing device to display a virtual button on the display screen, wherein activation of the virtual button causes the computing device to receive the signal to initiate the spoken search query.

3. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, the instructions further configuring a talk button on the computing device to receive the signal to initiate the spoken search query.

4. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, the instructions further configuring the computing device to transmit current location coordinates to the server, wherein the plurality of search results include at least one listing associated with the current location coordinates of the computing device.

5. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 4, wherein the updated response includes providing directions to a location associated with the at least one listing.

6. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 5, the instructions further configuring the computing device to present the directions via a map on the display screen.

7. The non-transitory computer storage medium of claim 1, the instructions further configuring the computing device to transform at least part of the voice data to text data at the computing device.

8. A method for providing a voice search query on a mobile device comprising:

receiving a signal at the mobile device to initiate a spoken search request;

communicating a prompt to receive the spoken search request;

receiving voice data comprising the spoken search request;

transmitting the voice data to a server;

receiving, at the mobile device, a response to the spoken search request from the server, wherein the response includes a plurality of search results and a priority search result comprising a top most one of the plurality of search results;

presenting the plurality of search results on a display of the mobile device;

presenting a verbal response relating to the priority search result via a speaker on the mobile device; and

receiving a spoken command at the mobile device relating to the priority search result, wherein the spoken command is transmitted to the server to provide an updated response at the mobile device.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the updated response includes calling a phone number associated with the priority search result.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising transmitting current location coordinates from the mobile device to the server, wherein the updated response includes directions to a location associated with the priority search result.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein receiving the signal at the mobile device to initiate the spoken search request comprises a user pressing either a dedicated push-to-talk button on the mobile device or a virtual button displayed on a touch sensitive screen of the mobile device.

12. The method of claim 8 further comprising transmitting current location coordinates from the mobile device to the server, wherein the displayed search results include at least one listing associated with the current location coordinates of the mobile device.

13. The method of claim 8 further comprising transforming the voice data to text data at the server.

14. The method of claim 8 further comprising transforming at least part of the voice data to text data at the mobile device.

15. A mobile device for providing a voice search query comprising:

a microphone to receive voice data;

a display screen to provide visual information;

a speaker;

a memory for storing data; and

a processor, coupled to the microphone, the display screen, the speaker and the memory, the processor being configured to;

receive a signal to initiate a spoken search query;

communicate a prompt to receive the spoken search query;

receive voice data comprising the spoken search query;

transmit the voice data from the mobile device to a server;

receive a response to the spoken search query from the server, wherein the response includes a search result based on the spoken search query;

present the search result on the display screen;

present a verbal response relating to the search result via the speaker, wherein the verbal response includes an option for interacting with the search result; and

receive a spoken command relating to the option for interacting with the search result, wherein the spoken command is processed at the server to provide an updated response at the mobile device.

16. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the updated response includes calling a phone number associated with the search result.

17. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to display a virtual button on the display screen, wherein activation of the virtual button causes the processor to receive the signal to initiate the spoken search query.

18. The mobile device of claim 15, wherein the processor is further configured to transmit current location coordinates from the mobile device to the server, and wherein the search result includes at least one listing associated with the current location coordinates of the mobile device.

19. The mobile device of claim 18, wherein the spoken command comprises a request for directions to the at least one listing, and wherein the updated response includes directions to an address associated with the at least one listing.

20. The mobile device of claim 19, wherein the processor is further configured to present the directions to the address via a map on the display screen.